MLB 11: The Show Walkthrough & Strategy Guide

The pitcher-batter dynamic is the most frequent one-on-one matchup in all of team sports. Considering that a single team will probably throw for over 140 pitches per game, and there are 162 games per season, you're talking about 22,680 pitches per team in a given year. If you don't master the mechanics of pitching early, you'll be watching the playoffs from home.

Throwing a Pitch

As a pitcher, your first step will be to select a pitch. The small meter above the pitch types indicates the pitcher's overall ability to throw it, based on his ratings and his success in the current game. Obviously, the more a meter is filled, the better: these pitches are the fastest, or produce the most movement, and have good control (that is, are easier to aim). Low-rated pitches are less effective but for the sake of keeping your opponent guessing, you should use them anyway. Note that the meters are dynamic: although they indicate the pitcher's ability to throw the pitch, if you consistently hit the strike zone with a given pitch, the pitcher will gain confidence in that pitch and the little meter will fill a bit even during the game. Conversely, keep missing with a pitch or mis-time it on the main meter, and the little meter will shrink.

If set in the options, the catcher will suggest a pitch: the icon of the pitch he suggests will flash, and a giant glove will show you where he wants it thrown. Obviously, you can freely ignore his advice.

If you make a mistake about which pitch you selected, press L1 to have the pitcher step back off the rubber. This will look the runners back, and allow you to pick a different pitch.

After you select a pitch and you're sure you want to throw it, you need to aim it. When aiming, the target shows where the ball will break, or curve. Fastballs don't break much, but pretty much all other types of pitches do. Arrows will indicate the direction of the break and how extreme the break is. For example, a right-handed pitcher with a good slider will have the ball and two or three yellow arrows pointing to the left. He could aim the pitch to the right of the strike zone, and the ball might still be a strike because its break will take directly into the zone. The very tip of the last yellow arrow is usually where the ball will end up after the break, assuming you pitched it correctly.

Once you confirm the aiming point, it's time to make the throw. As soon as you start your motion to make the delivery, you can release the left stick, as your aiming point is locked in.

There are three ways you can deliver the ball, which can be set in the options menu. Classic mode has you simply holding down the X button to set the power of the pitch: the longer you hold it, the more power you put to the pitch, which increases the ball's velocity. Merely tapping the X button will give it the minimal velocity.

For more control and a more skill-based pitch, you can select the Meter-style delivery. This brings up a semi-circle meter, the same one first seen in Electronic Arts's MVP Baseball half a decade ago. Holding down X starts the meter, and you'll want to release the X in the colored area at the end of the meter. Then, the meter will come back, and you have to hit X again when the edge of it hits the center of the aiming meter.

When using the Meter delivery, you'll want to time the power setting based on how much power you want to put into the pitch. Putting more power into the pitch (getting the meter to the red area) will add velocity and flatten the break; putting less power into the pitch (getting the meter to the yellow area) will remove velocity and add break. Getting the meter in the middle (the orange area) will produce the neutral, more predictable result.

When using the Meter, getting the accuracy right is very important. This is basically the "release point" of the pitch. Releasing early underthrows the ball, resulting in less break and a pitch that winds up higher in the zone. Releasing late overthrows the ball, resulting in more break and a pitch that winds up lower in the zone. Missing the timing on the release has a much more dramatic result than missing the timing on the power: a bad release could result in a wild pitch or worse.

However, one advantage of the Meter system is that it's very consistent. The amount of time it takes the meter to move is always the same given the same pitcher's delivery. That is, some pitchers deliver faster than others, and their meters might move faster than other pitchers'. However, any pitcher in the league will have the same meter with the same timing compared to himself every time.

Well, with one qualification. All pitchers have quicker deliveries from the set position (with runners on base) than they do from the wind-up position (no runners on base). Still, as you get used to any given pitcher's timing on his wind-up and set positions, especially a custom player in Road to the Show mode, hitting your timing on the release point should become instinct.

The third, new way to pitch is with the right analog stick. This method uses a similar meter, but it's vertical rather than curved. After selecting your pitch and location, you hold the right stick down to begin your delivery. When the small ball icon reaches the yellow line, you press up on the right stick to release the ball. Tilting the stick up-left or up-right changes the direction of the throw, which may or may not be good depending on where your aim is.

After your pitch is delivered (assuming there is no contact), you'll see where it went and how far it broke. Between that and the meter feedback, this can help you figure out what you may need to improve on. That said, know that your pitcher's control rating of whatever pitch you threw has an impact too: if your pitcher has low control ratings, you might throw the pitch perfectly and still have it inaccurate. Keep this firmly in mind when playing a pitcher in Road to the Show mode: you're going to start off having inconsistent pitches because of your pitcher's attributes, and not necessarily your timing.